Pillsbury Doughboy - The Birth of an Icon
The Pillsbury Doughboy was the brainchild of Rudy Perz, a copywriter for Pillsbury's advertising agency, Leo Burnett. Legend has it that he was sitting at his kitchen table in 1965 when he came upon the idea of a plump figure made of dough; that would pop out of refrigerated roll tubes. Since then, Pillsbury has used The Pillsbury Doughboy, also known as "Poppin' Fresh," in over 600 commercials advertising more than 50 of their products.
The original idea had been to animate the dough boy, but Perz changed this after being inspired by the stop-motion tilting technique used in The Dinah Shore Show's opening credits. The team then set out to create a 3D Doughboy figure of clay, initially costing $16,000. The high cost to develop the first Doughboy was because he needed five bodies and 15 heads to create the various positions and movements in the ad. Before he became a digital creation in 1992, it took 24 individual shots for every single second on film to make the Doughboy's stop-motion animation.
The Doughboy was an instant hit with consumers, and his cute plump body and signature belly poke and giggle appealed to adults and children alike. Through the last 50 years, Doughboy's appearance and advertising style have changed very little. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was depicted as a friendly assistant and instructor to household cooks. The Doughboy has had an extensive selection of careers over the years, including an opera singer, a rock star, a rapper, a poet, a ballet dancer, a painter, a skydiver, and a professional skateboarder. He is also a virtuoso musician; he has been seen expertly playing the accordion, harmonica, electric guitar, bugle, and violin.
According to General Mills, as of 1998, Poppin' Fresh received over 200 fan letters weekly, and Pillsbury received 1,500 appeals for signed photographs.
Fast Facts About the Doughboy
Poppin' Fresh measures eight ¾ inches tall (including his hat) and weighs 14 oz.
The Pillsbury Doughboy was first voiced by actor Paul Frees, known best as Boris from "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle."
In 2009, Poppin' Fresh debuted as a balloon in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In 2012, MasterCard aired a commercial featuring classic advertising icons, including the Morton Salt Girl, the Vlasic Pickle Stork, and Count Chocula.
Poppin' Fresh turned 50 in 2015.
The Doughboy has been featured in more than 600 ads for 50 different products.
The Poppin’ Fresh Family
In the 1970s, the Poppin' Fresh family was born; a new selection of doughy characters was brought to support the dough boy's daily life. His wife (possibly sister) was named "Poppie Fresh"; they had two chubby little children named Popper (a son) and Bun (a daughter). The extended family included; GrandPopper and GrandMommer, a cat named Biscuit, a dog named Flapjack, and even an uncle (called Uncle) who owned a bright blue car called Rollie (the two together are called Uncle Rollie). Unfortunately, the family did not stay around for long. Still, when Pillsbury issued the Doughboy family vinyl doll collection, the toys became so famous that Playthings Magazine named it "Toy of the Year" in 1972. Today these dolls are considered quite a prized collectible.
Learn more about the history of the Pillsbury Doughboy and some of his more recent events and controversies in Jose Angelo Studios - Advertising History’s video below “The Untold History of Pillsbury Doughboy.”
